


The Healer

by Palefire73



Series: Prisoners. The Chronicles of Loki and Erika [17]
Category: Loki - Fandom, Marvel, Norse Gods - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Reality, F/M, Healing Magic, Love, Magic, Romance, Words Of Power
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-08
Updated: 2017-08-08
Packaged: 2018-12-12 23:46:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11747679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Palefire73/pseuds/Palefire73
Summary: There is an accident at the farm, which reveals a hidden talent.Loki begins to wonder about where his relationship with Erika is going.





	The Healer

The drive Erika had for wanting to meet new people and to bring them into her life as good friends was very strong. Her family back in Asgard had always been very sociable, especially as her father had been an esteemed Stone Mason and her mother had been a notable Dressmaker. Although Mikkel her father did not have many surviving relatives – due in part, no doubt, to his recently disclosed unnatural longevity – Elisabet came from a very large family with lots of cousins, aunts and uncles and the like. They were regularly invited to and hosted parties and celebrations of one kind or another and generally led very busy lives. It had probably been this background that had contributed to Erika’s sympathy for Loki, seeing him surrounded by lots of people yet being utterly alone, for it was a life she could not bear to witness and found unthinkable for someone to have to endure. The insecurity and vulnerability that the God of Mischief had running through his core despite being the arrogant ruler of The Nine had been clear for her to see once he had relaxed his guard around her and she had found herself naturally drawn to him, wanting to somehow fill a part of that emptiness, even if it was only a tiny fragment; she wanted to bring the Trickster happiness, to show him that no one should be so lonely and unhappy and in doing so she had eventually fallen in love with him.

 

That desire to be surrounded by close friends and loved ones had suffered whilst she had been employed at the Palace for many different reasons, but it was primarily to do with the terrible games she had been dragged into as the Gods fought and conspired and waged wars. Now that the two of them were away from all of that, it was only natural that her true personality and thoughts and feelings would reappear and flourish, and so it was that Loki found himself rediscovering this delightful young woman who had chosen to spend her life with him, even as she was in turn watching Loki transform into what could only be described as a better version of himself. They both began to feel more relaxed and at home there on the farm, and as the daily chores and routines began to become familiar, being around each other living as companions became the norm. Thoughts about her old life were still quite fresh, but Erika found that they occurred less often as she was kept busy with all the things there were to do here on the farm. Loki had the advantage of having had The Vision tamper with his mind, and the severing of his links with his life at the Palace had been almost effortless. It was not so much that he had no memories; it was more that The Vision had programmed his mind to believe that they were not really that important anymore and that the building of new ones here in his new life was of far greater importance. If Erika brought something up, then he would remember it to a certain extent, but then his attention would wander and he would move the conversation on to something more recent.

 

Winter was in full swing at the small holding and it was the ideal time to appraise the property and the land surrounding it to make a full list of things which required attention. Loki and Hans were kept very busy with repairs to buildings and fences and with managing the many small wooded areas which dotted the estate. Erika helped out where she could and made it her duty to provide a decent hot meal at noon each day to keep the men satisfied and energetic enough to carry on working in the afternoon. Following the somewhat strained conversation about how Loki perceived Erika’s interest in Hans, the air between them was clearer and her natural friendliness came bouncing back.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

One particular evening, the men came back intending to relax in the large kitchen and warm their bones in front of the huge fire after a long day wrestling with a tin roof on a small outlying barn as the winter gales had tried to blow it away. They had succeeded in reattaching it, but not before there were several cuts and bruises sustained by both men and Loki had insisted that Hans come back to the house to be patched up after a particularly nasty-looking nail gashed his temple. When they arrived, Erika had taken one look at the wound and had fetched a bowl of hot salted water to bathe it, removing dirt and dried blood until she got down to the fresh wound, which began to bleed quite a lot. Loki had gone up to take a shower while she was treating her patient, so she was unable to call him in to use his Seidr to knit the flesh and skin together. She was becoming worried at her ability to stop the bleeding now that there was no dirt in the wound for it to bind with to make a scab and each square of linen she pressed to Hans’ temple was quickly blossoming with bright crimson. He read the concern in her face and tried to reassure her,

 

“Erika, calm down dear lady. Do you have a sewing box to hand?” His kindly voice unfortunately did nothing to sooth her nerves however and her eyes widened.

“What for? You do not wish for me to sew you up, do you? I will fetch Loki – you press your hand here while I go to get him.”

“There is no need! Do not disturb him unnecessarily. We can sort this out between us Erika, I have great faith in you!”

Erika became more agitated as Hans spoke; she was not medically trained! The thought of sewing up someone’s skin with embroidery silk made her stomach churn even though she was not usually bothered too much by the sight of blood and her worried eyes settled on his.

“Well I do not!” A mild panic set in. _I need Loki!_ She thought, _I must fetch him!_ Hans’ warm hand settled on her arm and she looked at it in a daze, her mind starting to whirl with all sorts of ideas about how he was going to faint, or get an infection, or… die!

 

She looked at the linen she was holding to his wound and saw blood was starting to soak through again. Dread mixed with the panic and the fine hairs on her arms began to stand on end. The sounds of the house – the crackling fire in the hearth, the ticking of the timepiece and the wind gusting against the windows – they all faded to a much lower volume. Her vision narrowed and sharpened so that Hans came into much clearer focus and her peripheral vision faded so that she was concentrating only on him and the cut on his head. He was talking to her, but his movements were slow and his voice was strange, as if he was in a different time stream, and the ticking of the timepiece began to get slower. The charge which was making her hair begin to float around her head like a halo was building and the wound on Hans’ head became her primary interest. She watched her own hands with a detached air as if they belonged to someone else while they removed the blood-soaked linen from his skin. Tiny droplets of blood beaded along the cut, but they would never get big enough to drip down his face; Erika’s fingers reached towards them and a glow began to form in her fingertips, creating a bright white light which shone on the crimson pearls.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Hans could not quite believe what he was seeing right in front of him as Erika became panicked about treating his wound, almost to the point of hysteria. But then she changed subtly in appearance and he stared agog as she started to glow faintly as if lit from within. He almost fell back in his chair as she spoke in the most outlandish language he had ever heard; her strangely powerful and incredibly deep voice intoning what could only be Words Of Power. They were something he had heard of in fairy tales but he had never thought he would ever witness them in real life and with each one he felt the sheer force buffeting against him in the strangest way. They were accompanied with a bright white light from her fingertips, which were pointing to the wound on his temple and he felt it become warm under her bizarre attentions. As she worked, Hans looked over her shoulder to see Loki descending the stairs dressed in casual clothes, his damp hair trailing over his shoulders and his eyes fastened on his companion in wonder. He came to stand with them and watched as the wound began to knit together seamlessly, leaving no trace of it behind; not even a scar. The light disappeared from her hands and suddenly she slumped to one side, where Loki caught her before she could fall off her chair and onto the floor.

 

Hans stared incredulously as Loki carried her to the large sofa near the fire and laid her unconscious form down, smoothing her hair back from her pale sweaty face and checking that she was breathing properly.

 

“By the Gods….” He breathed, “I have never experienced anything quite like it!” He reached up tentatively to feel his temple where the awful wound had been, but found nothing there to indicate he had been injured; his skin was as smooth and intact as it had ever been. “What in the Nine…?”

“She is amazing, is she not?” Loki had sat down beside Erika on the huge sofa and was making sure she was comfortable, “We still do not know the extent of what she can do, but her abilities seem to be directly linked to her emotions.”

“Abilities? What do you mean?” Asked Hans, “Is she not just an Asgardian?”

“Originally? Yes I believe she was, but she has been through a lot of experiences which have altered her in some way. It is a long story, but Erika has the signs of immortality about her and has demonstrated certain abilities in healing and defence, amongst others.” Loki sighed and Hans smiled as he saw the love he held for the girl in the way he looked at her, “The truth is that we simply do not know what she is capable of.”

“Well, that she is a healer is obvious enough,” Replied Hans, “but why has she fallen unconscious? Will she remain like that for some time? Is she in need of attention?”

“Her life signs are strong and I cannot sense anything wrong with her. I think she has simply expended a lot of power all at once and has overwhelmed herself. When I was first learning to use my Seidr, I used to make myself ill by using too much power for the task at hand and it took me a long time to control it in a less wasteful and damaging fashion…” Loki seemed to lose himself momentarily, as if he was remembering something. “I broke an ornament once, and tried to mend it magically but ended up in a Soul Forge. I was ill for days afterwards…”

“Sounds dreadful!” Exclaimed Hans, and Loki focussed on him as the memory faded away.

“Yes, it was… Erika?” He reached out to help the young girl as she opened her eyes and tried to sit up, blinking and looking around in a confused fashion.

“What happened?” She asked, looking between the two men.

“You healed me for a start, my dear lady and I must thank you!” Hans grinned and pointed at his head. Erika frowned; there was no mark, but his shirt was stained with blood around the collar.

“It has gone…?”

“Yes,” Remarked Loki, “you did a fine job, but you exhausted yourself with the Words again, Erika. You need to be more careful.”

“I cannot control them!” Insisted Erika, “They just come out!” She leaned into the hug Loki offered her and smiled sheepishly at Hans. “I cannot help it.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

It had not taken Erika long to feel better, especially as Loki helped out a little with his Seidr, and the three of them partook in a delicious drink of hot chocolate whilst talking in front of the fire. It was during the conversation they held as they relaxed on the comfortable sofa that Hans decided to ask of them an important question.

“You both know of my intention to marry Sara, of course.” He said, “She is my greatest love and a truly wonderful woman!” Hans fiddled with the handle of his mug and continued. “We have thought long and hard about how the wedding will go and who we wish to share it with and… well, I would like to ask you both something.”

“Go on…” Loki was intrigued and he could see that Erika’s interest had been piqued.

“Sara and I would like you both to come to the celebrations of course, but we would like you to have special roles, since you are my employers and… well, I think I can safely say we are friends?”

“Of course!” Laughed Erika, “Of course we are. What is it you would like to ask?”

“I would like to ask you, Loki, if you would give me the honour of being one of my brothers during the wedding week and Sara has asked that Erika be one of her sisters.” The young farmhand looked nervous as he awaited their reply. Erika and Loki glanced at each other and then she nodded eagerly.

“Of course!” She said and Hans’ face broke into a grin, “We would be honoured to join you.” She could hardly contain her excitement at the invitation; this was almost like having one of the many invitations she used to enjoy back in Asgard – there would be many people involved over several days and much merriment to be had!

 

He reached out a hand to Loki and they clasped fists together in a show of friendship. Since Loki had relaxed about him being around Erika, he had had his eyes opened as to what a genuine young man he was and knew he had been foolish in his thoughts. He gripped Hans’ shoulder and smiled happily at him, “I am truly honoured that you want us to share in your celebrations. You have shown yourself to be a man of integrity and you are a hard worker. Sara is a lucky lady, my friend.”

“A lucky lady indeed,” Said Erika, “However, I do believe Hans has the better part of the deal here!” She jumped to her feet and shooed away Loki’s concerned hand, “I am perfectly alright! We must drink a toast.”

 

The two men watched her busying herself with pouring some home-brewed mead into a copper kettle, which she placed on a hook over the fire to warm through and pinched some winter spices into as she stirred it. Hans glanced at Loki and saw how he looked at her; he was clearly in love with the girl and it was obvious to anyone from the gleam in his eyes and the smile that played at the corners of his mouth as he watched her going about making the drink. The warmth of the look he gave her when she handed him an earthenware mug full of foamy mead was enough to melt the iciest of hearts and the young Farmhand wondered why they were not married, especially when one considered that she regarded Loki in much the same manner. Hans gratefully accepted the warming drink and later on he thanked Erika once again for her miraculous healing of the gash on his head as he donned his coat for the ride home.

 

“Oh, it was nothing, really,” She said, somewhat bashfully. _Was she not fully aware of how wonderful a power like that could be?_

“Well, I think you were amazing and fainting in the process of helping me was definitely not ‘nothing’, was it?” He said and, wrapping a plaid scarf around his neck, he nodded politely. “Well, I must thank you once more for making me better. I bid you good evening and I will see you upon the morrow.” He looked at Loki, “There is much to do on the end stable.”

“Thank you Hans, we will see you in the morning.” Loki showed the young man out while Erika went upstairs to get ready for bed and he watched for a while as the figure of Hans on his horse faded into the crisp moonlit night in the direction of a small hamlet which was about half an hour’s ride away. His family were helping him to establish a home there in readiness for his marriage to Sara.

 

_Marriage_

 

Loki had only really thought about the idea of being married perhaps once or twice in passing since he had come here; indeed he was technically married a couple of times over back in Asgard and Jotúnnheimr. Yet the conversation which had taken place this evening had caused him to mull it over again and he found himself wondering if perhaps it was what Erika might want. Could it be that she was unconsciously keeping herself away from his bed because she believed they should be wed before they partook in any such activity again? He smirked as he dismissed the thoughts; she had not been that bothered when they had made love together back in Asgard, so why should she here? Yet now he had thought about it again, the idea lodged in his brain and stayed there. And the notion kept popping in his head whenever Hans’ wedding was mentioned over the next few days, leading Loki back to the same question: if he asked her, would Erika consent to being his wife? Would it perhaps help her to put down some permanent roots here at the farm and to start to feel that this was where she really belonged… because she was loved and wanted?

 

Loki found himself in a situation which he had rarely experienced: _what should he do?_

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! Another instance where I recycle an old title and if you are interested, there is a little story in the Loki Origins series of the same name and the story of Loki breaking the ornament is called "Reflections of Things to Come" and can be found in my works.
> 
> Hope this finds you in good health and spirits,  
> Laterz, #Loki fans  
> Palefire73


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